Saturday, September 10, 2016

Puritan Piety through a Communal Work Ethic

Diligence - Frugality - Faith

Inspired
by Charles Cohen’s, “The Saints Zealous in Love and Labor,” this analysis
details contrasting scholarly perspectives regarding the Puritan psychology of
work. Cohen cites Max Weber’s thesis and mentions how Weber links the practice
of piety to the development of capitalism and Western Civilization. Weber
suggests that Puritans were largely inspired to fulfill their earthly acts of
labor due to a higher sense of moralistic reasoning and virtue. Overwhelmingly,
from the writings of John Winthrop, one of the leading founders of the Massachusetts
Bay Colony, and other Puritan authors, the majority of New England’s early
settlers appeared to have desired to manifest their faith through good works
and economic activity, whether as a show of their own piety or due to societal
pressures to behave accordingly to the ideals of their religiously-based colony.
From Charles perspective, Puritans assumed that if they were not being
productive, they were not living up to the standards of Christ and that without
labor, the Spirit of God was not being accessed, thus not reflecting a transformed
state from sinner to a soul regenerated into active Christian life.

Reminiscent
of John Smith’s famously attributed quote – “Those who do not work do not eat” –highly
incentivized public activity from all members of Puritan society regardless of
class or gender is indicative that new settlements along the Eastern coastline
were no longer bound by old European ties to class hierarchy. Additionally, each
individual, in order to survive the harsh elements of the New World, appeared
compelled to participate and contribute, concepts that were exceptionally
relevant to the Puritan way of life, as the common belief seemed to hold that
the single action from one of their members could result in either God’s favor
or displeasure, indicating that there existed subsequent consequences for
either their action or inaction.

Historian
Sharon Beder explores how a higher motivation is necessary for the efficiency
of modern economics, that being portrayed in the success of capitalism. She
states that "modern capitalism, more than mere trading for profit,
requires a system of values that revolves around economic meanings and
goals." She continues to highlight how the Protestant Reformation brought
about "moral support and legitimacy" to settlers desiring to impact
commerce and industry - one of the hallmarks of those crossing the Atlantic who
were set on exploring and cultivating the relatively unclaimed American
continent for their own personal or imperialistic gain.

Intriguingly,
a critique of Max Weber's initial projection on how the economic motivations of
Puritans stemmed from their Calvinistic theology emerges in the form of
Anglican dissent. A contrary opinion posed by C. John Sommerville stands
refreshingly aloof compared to the amount of research on early colonial piety
during the 1600s. Sommerville argues that Anglicans were far more work-focused
and efficient in their enterprises compared to their Puritan counterparts. In “The
Anti-Puritan Work Ethic,” Sommerville disputes the validity of other scholars
whom he sees as having relied too heavily on Weber's analysis and that consideration
ought to be placed on other pieces of literary evidence to support the
conjected link between Calvinist doctrine and the compulsive desire to work. He
suggests, based on religious books penned by Anglican authors within the 17th
century, that Anglicans instead placed more emphasis upon worldly acts of labor
“as a religious duty" in a way that was "integrated with the rest of
their theology in a more logical manner than the Puritans." He sees the
Puritan motive for work more as a symptom of psychology branching out from a
sense of “religious anxiety” instead of acts conducted out of pure devotion.

Sommerville
could be right, however, though more detailed and thought provoking due to how
he contrasts the deeper theological differences between Christian
denominations, it appears as though his argument misses the point – simply because
Anglicans may have been more concentrated on work as a stated “religious duty,”
this does not discredit the reasons as to why Puritans were motivated to
actively act out the will of God. Cannot both sects be equally motivated by
economic and religious factors? Even if Puritans were motivated in part by
societal pressures they may have felt, especially in light of conformity,
intrinsically the Puritan mindset is fundamentally yet enamored with the idea
that each believer is responsible in expressing the Spirit of God and His transformational
powers within and through their outward show of labor and good works. Through the
tenets of the Protestant Reformation, with Luther’s insistence on Sola Gratia - through God's grace alone, the Puritans heartily believed that
salvation can only be achieved through the sacrifice of Christ and not through
any humanly effort, thus they were further inspired by Christian principles to
dedicate their lives to hard work in service of God in addition to a dedicated
display of their own personal piety and devotion in an outwardly visible way.

I
do not see the conflict here as anyone can be simultaneously motivated by
various influences yet still maintain a genuine and sincere conviction towards
an original motivating factor, this being God in the instance through our
analysis of motivational factors influencing the Puritans. In fact, Christianity
revolves around each saint navigating through the diverse influences and responsibilities
of life while always bearing in mind Who ought to have the greatest amount of influence
in our lives.

Linking Protestant Work Ethic and Capitalism, Max Weber

Thankfully,
historian Marilynn Robinson, points out a unique facet of Puritan thinking in her
"Puritans and Prigs: An Anatomy of Zealotry" that acknowledges the
Christian doctrine of the depravity of man, a notion emphasized quite
emphatically by Calvinists from which Puritan methodology strains. She likens a
portion of Puritanical society to that of the “National Socialism of Germany”
or other fascist communities – “the idea that society can and should produce
good people – people suited to life in that idealized society” who must consistently
examine whether they and those around them are expressing and living up to that
communal standard. However, she retracts that affiliation, suggesting that the Puritans
cannot be considered “zealots or Stalinists”, but rather showcases how Puritans
have a zealous nature about them only because the passion of these devotees
originates from the deep desire to “feel secure in their reasonableness, worth,
and goodness,” or rather, to solidly mirror their Christian identity, despite
their understanding of flawed human nature. It is actually because of this
understanding, Robinson claims, that they are “filled with a generous zeal to
establish their virtues through the world of their society with the inspiring
hope that this transformation can be accomplished.”

And
this leads us back to the beginning of this discussion with the statement Cohen
took from Max Weber, suggesting that Puritan motivation for earthly work was
uniquely and intimately bound together with their desire to serve and worship
God tothe utmost of their abilities
- a pious expression rooted at the very core of Christian hospitality and
compassion which came to greatly influence and alter the course of Western
Civilization due to both economic and religious motivating factors.